Man charged with selling heroin to undercover gardaí

A man in his 20s who has been charged with selling diamorphine (heroin) to undercover gardaí was denied bail on Wednesday amid claims from investigating gardaí that he had plans to commit an armed robbery.

Michael Crinnion, of Blackwater Grove, Togher, Cork, was arrested on Wednesday as part of Operation Emerson and taken to Gurranabraher Garda station in Cork.

He was charged with three counts of possessing diamorphine for sale and supply under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Det Sgt Sean McCarthy told Cork District Court that Mr Crinnion sold diamorphine to undercover gardaí on three occasions over the last three months. He objected to bail in the case.

Det Sgt McCarthy said it was his opinion that people deal heroin on the streets of Cork on behalf of Mr Crinnion. He stressed it was his concern that the accused was currently planning armed robbery of rural post offices.

Rural post offices

“Last week I saw him [Crinnion] going past three post offices in North Cork. That’s three rural post offices in one day in the space of two hours. I have seen what I would now regard as suspicious activity.”

Defence solicitor Frank Buttimer refuted suggestions his client was "casing" post offices, saying he passed numerous banks and post offices in his day-to-day activities without cause for concern among gardaí.

He said his client should not be denied bail based on the suspicions of gardaí without any firm basis in reality for such allegations. He derided what he called this “curious idea of some robbery in the future”.

However, Sgt McCarthy said it was his firm belief Mr Crinnion was observing rural post offices in Co Cork with a view to robbing them.

Mr Crinnion denied observing post offices, saying the claims were false. When asked by Insp Gary McPolin as to why a knife was found in his possession during a recent drugs arrest, he said “his life was under threat”.

He refused to elaborate on the claim.

He said he needed to be at home to take care of his diabetic mother. He also told Judge Olann Kelleher he was currently trying to access Arbour House drug treatment facility.

He refuted suggestions from gardaí that he was an addict, saying he had been in the past but was “flying” now.

Judge Kelleher denied bail in the case and remanded the accused in custody to appear before Cork District Court again next Wednesday.